Taft makes list: Time’s worst U.S. governors

FMonday, November 14, 2005

By Jesse Tinsley

Plain Dealer Reporter

Time Magazine has given Ohio Gov. Bob Taft a new title: One of the worst governors in America.

Taft was already considered an ineffective leader, the magazine says in its Nov. 21 review of state leaders. But he dropped into the bottom three after his August conviction and $4,000 fine on four misdemea nor cou nts of bre aking state ethics laws. He failed to report gifts that included golf outings, hockey tickets and meals.

“The only thing more stunning than the spectacle of a quivering, hangdog Ohio governor pleading no contest in August to criminal charges is the fact that he is still in office,” Time says.

Louisiana’s Democratic Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and Mark Sanford, the Republican governor of South Carolina, join the Ohio Republican on Time’s unglamorous list. The magazine did not rank the three.

Taft spokesman Mark Rickel could not be reached for comment on Sunday. State Rep. Jim Trakas, an Independence Republican, called Taft’s ranking a very unfortunate distinction.

“From a policy perspective, the governor has actually had a fairly good year,” Trakas said. “Obviously, on the political end of it, it’s been a nightmare. Not a list you that want your name on. Let’s hope that 2006 offers a big turnaround.”